


In the darkness lingers

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Tom Riddle, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25294156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Harry thinks he's been having strange dreams lately, but reality quickly comes crumbling down around him.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort
Comments: 9
Kudos: 139





	In the darkness lingers

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a friend's idea of: Harry starts having dreams where he visits Tom Riddle in the past, but doesn't realize that he's being pulled through time--little by little--until it's too late.

"-- _Harry_ _Potter_."

Harry froze. "What...did you say?"

"Oh, I know all about you," Tom said, lip curling up in a crooked manner. The pleasant facade fell away like clockwork, leaving behind a twisted expression that dripped of malice.

The change was so sudden and jarring that Harry found himself taking a step back in shock.

Tom resumed speaking, undeterred. "Harry Potter. The boy who lived to defeat the great and powerful Lord Voldemort not once, but twice. To be killed by a creation of your own making...it's ironic, isnt it?" He stopped to pause, consider. "But you see, that's the funny thing about time--the future is not set in stone. In fact, it has yet to even be written. I intend to fix his mistakes, to succeed where he ultimately failed."

Harry stood up straighter at that, hand reflexively twitching for a wand that simply wasn't there. He didn't bother asking how much Tom knew--he evidently knew enough if he was already spouting about his great plans for the future.

"So let me guess--you're going to kill me," he responded evenly. "How exactly do you plan on doing that? In case you've forgotten, I'm not exactly solid."

"Kill you? After spending my every waking moment trying to solve the mystery behind you? You must not know," Tom said, lifting an eyebrow. He took a step closer, a small, measured movement as if to not startle him. Harry forced himself to stand his ground--there was nothing to be afraid of.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Know what, Tom? Have you got a secret to share? I'm sure you have many of those."

"You've gone and convinced yourself that this is all a dream, haven't you?" Tom said, a tinge of amused wonderment meticulously sprinkled over his perfect features. "Oh, Harry...This is no dream nor memory, I'm afraid. The reason why this looks and feels so real is because it is. From the very beginning, you've been acting as a gateway for a memory desperately reaching for it's whole. I suppose I should thank you for leading it back to me."

Harry wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. "You're lying. Voldemort is dead. I made sure of that. There's no way that..." Harry trailed off as something clicked in the back of his mind.

The incident in the kitchen, all those weeks ago...

He remembered that ominous shadow as he casted a Patronus spell, the childlike screams as it began to disappear before his eyes--the barest of a touch against his cheek. That thing--no...Voldemort's memory--had been living inside him this whole time? A knot caught in his throat at the sudden realization.

Tom reached out to brush an unruly strand of hair out of Harry's face, fingers gently brushing against his face in the process. He smiled then, the perfect picture of innocence if not for the darkness that lurked beneath his eyes.

"Harry..." he breathed. "I can _touch_ you now."

The words burned.

Like whiplash, Harry jerked back. He shook his head in denial, unconsciously taking another step back.

To his growing horror, Tom took a step forward, following right after him. Harry's eyes darted around the room frantically, searching for anything that he could use as a weapon. His wand was lost to time, this wasn't simply a memory, and a very much alive Tom Marvolo Riddle was following right at his heels.

 _If he isn't going to kill me_ , he thought, _then what--_

His back suddenly made impact with the wardrobe behind him and just like that, he snapped into action. A rush of adrenaline fueled his steps as he shoved past Tom and made for the door, mind singularly focused on escaping.

He wasn't going to wait around to find out what Tom was planning. If he were really in the past now, then other people would be able to see him. He just had to make it outside.

His hand reached for the door knob just as Tom pointed his wand and said swiftly, " _Incarcerous_!"

Thick ropes immediately sprouted forth from the glowing wand tip, forcing Harry's arms back and away from the door. They wrapped behind his back as the spell bound them together tight. The ropes slithered down even further to wrap around his legs until he could no longer keep his balance. He fell to the ground with a hard thunk, head smashing against the cold floor.

Harry struggled wildly with the bonds even as his head pulsed from the impact. In the midst of his struggling, he tried to call on wandless magic to counteract the curse, to no avail. He knew the reversal spell, but even with all of his desperation, he couldn't get it to work.

Tom casually strode over, coming to a stop beside him. Then he crouched down, face becoming visible to Harry from his position on the floor. He looked disappointed.

"I'm beginning to wonder if I should have kept you in the dark a little while longer if this is how it's going to be from now on. Although I'll certainly miss our blooming friendship, I understand your anger. I'll admit that I wasn't very forthcoming with information, but neither were you."

Harry glared up at him through a mop of hair, strands sticking up in a state of disarray.

"And for good reason!" he shouted, eyes alight with anger. "Look where the truth has gotten me! Tied up and at the very feet of a bloody psychopath! You want to change the future so badly, Tom? Then you you'll have to kill me because if you don't, I'll find a way to stop you... Everyone slips up eventually, even you--I'll study your every move if I have to! I refuse to just stand around while you murder innocent people...!"

"Rather devoted to me, aren't you? I must say, I'm awfully flattered, Harry." Tom smiled.

"You--" Harry sputtered, at a loss for words. "You're insane!" 

"On the contrary, my thoughts have never been more clear. Thanks to you, of course," Tom said, voice pleasant. "I knew you were an important piece in this game from the moment I laid eyes on you. You've given me an extraordinary gift today, albeit unknowingly. I'll have to return the favor, in time."

Harry drew his head back as Tom made to touch him again. "Don't touch me--get the hell away from me!"

There was a soft caress against his forehead as deft fingers smoothly traced the outline of his scar.

Harry flinched away from the deceptively gentle touch, tilting his head up to glare daggers at Tom. He was immediately struck with a new wave of fear. Those dark eyes were swirling with emotions that he couldn't name. An obsessed fervor mixed and twisted with something chilling.

Harry shuddered.

Tom seemed unbothered by the negative reaction to his touch, as if he were expecting it. "I always used to wonder what you would feel like, you know. I had thought it cruel that fate would deliver you to me as a spirit--so close, yet never quite solid enough to touch. But you kept showing up in different places each time, and no one else could see you. I realized that you couldn't be a mere ghost."

"I should've...told Hermione about the dreams," Harry said distantly, voice sounding hollow even to him. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath.

Was it just his imagination, or were the ropes squeezing tighter?

"A good thing you didn't, then," Tom remarked dryly. He leaned in close as if he were going to reach for Harry's face again, only to grab a fistful of hair instead. Tom dragged the older teenager toward him, relishing in every wince and pitiful attempt to pull away. "Perhaps it's time that we properly introduced ourselves, don't you agree?"

Harry recoiled and tried to look away when he felt a prod at his mental barriers, but it was already too late. His eyes clouded over and his body went slack as Tom tore through his memories, intending to start at the very beginning.


End file.
